Nominated by Dr. Jennie M. Weiner
VCU professor Dr. Charol Shakeshaft researches how systems of oppression operate in educational leadership. By founding Women Leading in Education, a group supporting women school leaders in over 30 countries, she created pathways for a new generation of critical scholarship and action. This year the group met in Nottingham, UK with over 150 participants from more than 15 countries. In her research, she identified the phenomenon “educator sexual misconduct,” highlighting the need for prevention of abuse of students by adults in authority in youth serving organizations. She has since provided expert witness reports and testimonies in over 250 cases, developing standards of care used throughout the nation. Her work has helped to bring justice to and support for thousands of children sexually abused by school employees.
